Not So Innocent Intentions
by BabyMockingJay
Summary: Clove Kingsley has had a rough life. She befriended Cato Wood in second grade, a boy that's known to have problems of his own. A girl as mysterious as her is bound to have secrets, but the problem is, which ones should you keep to yourself? MODERN DAY AU AND OOC! Rated M for seaxual stuff
1. Chapter 1

**Hello readers, I am very sorry I have been gone for so many months. To tell you the truth, I don't know when Careers Don't Love will be updated again. I'm going through a rough time right now. I have some anxsiety issues and I'm still dealing with my selfharm. It controls my life. This new story is the modernday AU you all have been waiting for. It took me _months. _I wrote it and rewrote it and rewrote it again. It's still a piece of shit. I tried. ;,( Sorry. **

**Word count: 2,902**

* * *

_You cross my mind._

_A lot._

_More times than I like to admit;_

_you seem to have taken up permanent residence, _

_making your home in the deepest corners of my mind._

_And sometimes I get caught up in my head,_

_I'll lose myself in the color of your eyes-_

_even in my head I'm helpless-_

_and I have to remind myself to breathe_

_-Julia Pollacco 'Inhale, Exhle'_

* * *

He heard it again. The screams. Her screams.

It was a high pitch sound that sent chills down his spine.

He hated it.

For three months this had been going on and for three months it had been a living hell. Every night at around one o'clock in the morning Clove would shuffle over to his bedroom, desperately trying to fight off tears. Cato had always wondered what type of gruesome images would cause her to become so distressed, but her lips were sealed. She wasn't one to get upset easily, so the fact that she was trying not to cry made him curious to know what visions haunted her. When she first came to his room she expected him to make some sort of smart ass comment about how she was 'over reacting' or how she was 'too dependent' on him.

But he didn't.

Instead he would calm her down and walk her back to her room which sat directly across from his. He would place her back in her bed before climbing in and sitting down next to her. On her request, he would wait patiently for her to fall back asleep, never leaving until her eyes were fully closed. He did this over, and over, and over again to the point where it was starting to take a toll on him. He was loosing a few hours of sleep each night and he couldn't take it anymore.

So the next time she came to his room he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his bed, feeling too exhausted to go through their nightly routine. She immediately buried he face into the crook of his neck as his hands slid up her shirt. He began to draw soft patters on the lower region of her back in an attempt to calm her. Her body was practically on top of him, but she barely notice. She was too occupied with the images that her mind had created- the ones that were specifically designed to torture her. They kept replaying over and over until it brought tears to her eyes. Only a few salty droplets fell from her lashes, but enough liquid has gathered upon Cato's neck for him to take notice.

"Shhh." He breathed in a low hum of a whisper. She whimpered in response.

Her breathing was quick and shallow. He could feel the rapid beating of her heart as pounded against him. To any on viewer, their position would indicate something more was going on. People often thought they were together, but Cato had always been quick to correct them. Of course he cared about her, but not like _that_. Maybe after he had a few drinks in him he would say other wise. He thought back to that horrible night when he had come home at three o'clock in the morning. Smelling like a combination of Jack Daniels and old cigarettes. Trudging up the stairs and-. Cato shut his eyes tight. Clove and himself had both promised that they would never think nor speak of that night. _Ever._

He didn't know why he was letting his thoughts linger on pass events, it didn't do any good. Besides, Clove had calmed down for the most part and he needed to sleep before he lost his mind.

"Come on." He heard her mumble with a sniffle as she began to pull away from him. He knew what she wanted. There was no way he could walk her back to her room now. Nope. That wasn't going to happen. At least not tonight. His body ached with exhaustion and there was no way he could grant her wishes- even if he wanted to. He felt the mattress dip as she began to crawl off the bed. He heard the sheets rustle, telling him she must have turned around to see why he wasn't following her.

Cato let out a long sigh. "I'm too tired to wait for you to fall back asleep, just stay here tonight." he mumbled in a sleepy response to her silence.

Clove became rooted on the spot. Was he serious? He had to be joking. Maybe in all of her confusion she simply imagined his words? No. That wasn't possible. She grimenced at her own stupid thought.

A sudden tug at the hem of her shirt causes her to fall back onto the plush mattress with a small 'oof'.

Cato lazily outstretches an arm and pulls the red bedspread over the two of them before loosely tucking an arms around her waist. Clove's eyes remain wide, her previous nightmare had been pushed to the deepest corner of her mind- or in other words, forgotten. Pure shock ran thought her veins. Or maybe it was warmth? She wasn't quite sure seeing that Cato's large built emitted a very toasty feeling beneath the blanket. How had the night's events taken such a rapid turn? Just moments ago she was leaving and now she was tucked underneath the sheets of her best friends' bed. Cato unconsciously began to move his finger tips underneath her shirt causing a small patch of goose flesh to break out across the curve of her waist. Clove momentarily froze as she tried to sort out his sudden change in emotions. What had gotten into him? Cato's arms were wrapped around her in a way that made the entire thing seem _way_ too intimate. They were friends, not some sappy romantic couple.

"Relax." He mumbled, picking up on her tense form.

"I'm not sleeping in your bed Cato." She said in a hushed whisper before removing the arm that was around her waist.

Clearly he was too exhausted to care because all she got in response was a brief grunt, letting her know he could care less about where she slept at this point. She sat up and waited for him to do the same. She tapped her fingers patiently against the sheet before shaking his shoulder.

"Cato please." She pleaded.

"Just stay here." He murmured in a barely audible into the pillow.

Clove knew that it was wrong to stay with him. It was completely unthinkable and crossed the line on so many different levels. But a sudden thought struck her. She had absolutely no one left, and if she kept pushing him away he might leave too. And because of this fear, she decided to stay.

She hesitantly placed her head back onto one of the many pillows that surrounded the king sized bed. Cato mumbled something incomprehensible before snaking his arm back around her waist, where it belonged. She slowly closed her eyes as she let out a shaky breath. Laying down next to him wasn't so bad, in fact she rather liked it. She quickly came up with a legitimate excuse though. She had know Cato for years. It's not like she just met him. For god sakes they lived together, she could go to him if she need help, right? Sleep next to him if she needed comfort or warmth?

* * *

Her face turned bright red the next morning when he had causally asked her how she slept. She looked at her feet and mumbled out the word 'fine' as she avoided his cocky smirk. He thought she would have been too embarrassed to return to his room the next night, but she did. She refused to make eye contact with him as she crawled into his bed, fully aware that she would find a rather satisfied looking seventeen year old trying to hold back a crude remark.

He was careful not to tease her to much though. She had seen a lot in her sixteen years. At times she would simply stare off, completely oblivious to the world around her. When she came back to him he would ask her what she was thinking about, and she would respond with a very detailed and usually unpleasant story about her past. Most of the stories she told him were cringe worthy, and he found himself angry at the multiple people that had wrecked havoc on her life.

Clove was broken. And it was his job to fix her. It had been a struggle, but she was slowly healing, and he was helping her. Through the years their relationship had turned into something more. He took care of her. And she took care of him. And that's the way the world worked. Cato felt as if it was his responsibility to keep her happy. When his friends saw the way he acted toward her they smirked, claiming he sounded more like a _boyfriend _than a _best friend_. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, completely blowing off the possibility of having a relationship with her. She was his friend, nothing more.

Though, he could admit that sometimes he got a little too caught up in trying to make her feel better to realize what _exactly _he was doing. It was one week after the first night he allowed her to sleep in his bed when he realized what he done.

He was in too deep.

At the time he thought nothing of it. He was merely trying to satisfy her need to be close to someone- to feel human contact.

What he didn't realize until later was that she didn't stay because she was just too tired to leave, she stayed because she wanted to.

He told himself not to panic, that it was just his imagination messing with his head. But the more he thought about it the more likely it seemed. And it scared the hell out of him. He remembered how she barely talked to anyone at school and how the possibility of her cuddling up to another guy (given the opportunity) was slim to none. She didn't trust anyone- well, except him of course. Most people were intimidated by him, but not her. She didn't fear him when they were younger so why should she fear him now? She knew he would never lay a finger on her and that he was more likely to beat the shit out of someone who did. He was extremely possessive over her and somehow people knew not to do her wrong.

Cato's thoughts wandered back to his current predicament.

He didn't know what the worst part was- the fact that he felt a strange level of comfort and satisfaction whenever she occupied the spot next to him- or the amount of intimacy that was involved.

He knew it was wrong to allow her to sleep next to him. Friends weren't supposed to share that kind of contact. Let alone _spoon_ each other. But he felt like he had no other choice but to allow her to stay. What has he supposed to do the next time she came whimpering to bed, begging to be closer to him? Kick her out?

Yes.

This was it. He was putting his foot down. There was a fine line between comforting and cuddling and he was pretty sure he had crossed it.

So when his door squeaked open he was prepared to tell her to leave. To tell her that she was a big girl and that she could sleep in her own bed.

But her shaky voice at his doorway cut of his train of thought.

"Cato? Are you asleep?" She whispered into the darkness of his bedroom.

He didn't respond. He remanded on his side with his back to her as he tried to think of a legitimate way to answer. He gave up rather quickly and just decide that when she approached his bed he would set her straight. He would let her know that she was not allowed to sleep with him anymore because it was just too. . . . .weird. It made his heart skip a beat and he didn't like it. His stomach would tighten with anxiety whenever she curled up next to him and it made him feel too mushy inside.

He waited for her to say something- anything that would give him the golden opportunity to politely ask her to leave. He was beginning to enjoy her nightly visits a little bit too much, and it worried him.

He continued waiting for her to speak but the sound of her voice never came. Instead he heard the soft patter of her feet against the oak floor boards of _his_ master bedroom. He felt the sudden coolness of the air as she lifted the edges of his bedsheets. She slid into the bed and just when he was about to open his mouth to speak her felt her shift. With absolutely no difficulty what so ever she climbs over his body and settles herself directly in front of him. Her back side presses firmly against him and he feels her hum in contentment as she rest her head against his arm.

Cato let out a loud sigh. He couldn't do it. He almost hoped that she would push him away right now. Because he knew that there was no way he could. The consequences of _him _pushing _her _away would be catastrophic. Cato spent a long time trying to put her back together and he knew that if his words were to come out the wrong way all of his hard work would be shattered into a million pieces. If he knows one thing about Clove it's that she doesn't handle rejection very well. She had been rejected by so many people in her life that whenever someone talked about leaving, or even left for a few hours, she would get nervous. He would come home to find her pacing the living room or snuggled in his bed, trying to hind the fact that a small part of her thought he wouldn't come home. She never liked to directly state what was bothering her, and because of this, he spent a long time trying to figure it out.

Cato suddenly felt satisfied with himself. He felt needed. Wanted. Maybe even loved.

He felt an ever so slight smile cross his lips. Clove felt the slight movement against the back of her neck and abruptly turned around to face him.

"I knew you were awake." She whispered to him. He can barely make out her silhouette in the dim light of the room.

He didn't respond. He quickly loses his smile and simply stares at her with the blankest look he can manage.

Realizing that he's not going to say anything in return, Clove rolls back over and rest her head on his arm once more. Cato silently wraps his arm around her waist before placing a quick kiss on her temple.

"Sleep." He instructs.

Silence his her response.

It was obvious that she needed him. Deep down inside she knew it too. Their relationship was undefined at the moment. It seems that only in the darkness of the night was he able to show any sort of affection towards her. Whenever his alarm clock would go off he would wake to find his bed empty. She would leave before he even had the chance to say good morning. On rare occasion she would sleep in, and she would wake to find him refusing to let go of her, claiming that he just wanted her to stay a little bit longer. Maybe this was the reason she would always leave pryer to him waking up. He wasn't quite sure.

She belonged to him, that was a given. No one understood her better than he did. No one had the ability to take care of her like he could. He didn't know why he felt so strongly about it. Perhaps it was the hidden fear that someone would hurt her. Or maybe it was the fear that another guy would come along and sweep her off her feet, and he would be left alone, with nothing but a hollow empty feeling in his chest.

* * *

**Wow. that sucked. I'm such a failure. *Sigh* But I must ask you to reveiw, because I want to know what you think, or if I should even bother to continue to write. Thanks for giving me a chance :3**


	2. Chapter 2

**I want to thank all of those who PM'd me. I read all of your messages and responded to a few. I didn't get to respond to all of them because I was sick. But I want to thank you all so much. Thank you to the reviewers, who encouraged me. Thank you all for the support, and Please give feedback or suggestions! Ps I changed the summery, I didn't like it before. **

**Word count: 3,110**

**Chapter two **

_Anger is a state of mind- me _

* * *

Clove let her fingers toy with the small gold chain that hung around her neck. At the end an exquisite diamond rested atop a thin silver band. Five smaller diamonds danced around the crown gem in an ellipse. The necklace, of course, did not belong to her. Cato's mother had worn the same ring every day for fifteen years, until her untimely death three years prior. Clove had found the ring in a box of things that Cato had planned to get rid of, the gold chain included. She couldn't stand by and watch him throw away memories. Sarah was the only woman that had ever shown any love towards her, and she couldn't let her most prized possessions end up in a _pawn_ _shop._ When she saw the box sitting on the counter she immediately checked to make sure no one was around before locking herself in the bathroom. The box held few things. The first item she extracted was a worn and yellowed copy of _To_ _Kill_ _A_ _Mocking_ _Bird._ The second and third were the chain and the ring. Clove thought it was odd that Cato would discard such valuable objects, but perhaps he never wanted to see them again. The last item was a torn picture. It depicted Cato and his father, his mother's arm was resting on his shoulder, but the rest of her body had be torn from the picture. The tear was ragged, as if someone had ripped it in an unexpected rage.

The sound of someone clearing their throat cause her to be abruptly pulled away from her day dream.

". . . For the second time , what is your answer for number seventeen?" An unamused Mr. Bates asked. Bates was a small man with a round pot belly and a shiny circle atop his balding head. A few students even swore that if you got close enough you could see your reflection in it.

"Oh, umm. . ." Clove muttered under her breath as she began to shift through the papers on her desk in a futile attempt to locate said number seventeen. She felt the eyes of every student in the classroom move to her as she continued to search for her paper. Mr. Bates let out an exaggerated sigh as he turned his back to her and called on someone else.

The next half hour was pure hell due to the fact it was 'movie day.' As usual, Bates rolled in the old TV on a black cart and popped the cassette into the VCR. A dull piano arpeggio introduced the video on photosynthesis. Several groans were heard throughout the classroom as another 'educational science film' was going to take up the rest of class as it did every Thursday. Clove put her head on her desk as she tried to block out the the monotone of the man who had begun talking about chloroplast. She wanted nothing more than to leave, which was unusual seeing that she usually enjoyed going to the public high school.

...

Clove felt a ringing in her ears that cause her to sit up tiredly. She looked around in confusion only to find the classroom lights on and different students in the chairs around her. Her brow furrowed as she looked at Bates, the students, and then Bates again.

"Ahh, Clove! How was your little nap? Are you well rested?" A sarcastic Bates inquired in a chipper tone. Clove felt her face pale. Her eyes immanently darted to the clock. 3:52. Her jaw dropped in horror. She had slept through her entire sixth hour class, and no one had bothered to wake her up!

"You see Kingsley, I've taken the liberty in handing out a packet this hour _just _so you could continue your peaceful slumber." Bates said with an cheerful smile. "Perhaps you should thanks me for my generosity." He said, giving her another smile as the students around him snickered.

Clove's nostrils narrowed and her eyes became slits. She stood slowly, grabbed her messenger bag, and walked out of the class room, her jaw clenched in intense anger. She didn't care that she still had a full five minutes of class left. _She_ was going home.

Clove mutter angrily as she made her way to the parking lot, wanting nothing more than to hit something. She had no idea why Bates hated her so much, she did well in his class, exceptionally so.

". . . Stupid Bates. . . I'll show him. . . have to get an A on the next test..." She continued her small rant all the way to the black Volvo the was parked under a leafless tree.

She walked around to the passenger side and yanked the door hard, hoping it was unlocked. To her surprise it was. The second she opened the door the strong smell of burning nicotine made its way to her nose. Her face shriveled up at the disgusting smell followed by a few coughs. She turned her head in the direction where the smell was most prominent and gave a high pitched scream as her insides did a back flip. There, laying on his back, cigarette in hand, was Cato. He gave a laugh at her bulging eyes and frozen position.

He looked at her lazily, took a long drag from his cigarette, and blew a cloud of smoke in her direction. This seemed to snap her out of her haze as she immediately toppled into the car and jumped on top of him.

"You idiot!" She shouted angrily from above him as she ripped the cigarette from between his teeth and threw it at him, bits of hot ash accidentally making contact with his neck. He gave a shout of objection followed by a string of curses.

"You told me you quit! You lied! All you're doing is killing yourself!" She said in a frustrated shout.

"Then just fucking let me!" he shouted back, matching her tone. His eyes dilated as they always did when he was feeling too much of one emotion. His hand was gripping his neck, his expression was one of immense pain, anger at being caught, and just pure annoyance.

Clove couldn't take it. He was exhausting her and it hadn't even been two minutes. She let out a feeble 'no' before scooting closer to him and giving an apologetic look before leaning against him.

"What the actual fuck?" Cato asked her in annoyance, pushing her shoulder with a little too much force. "You just burned me with my own fucking cigarette and now you want to cuddle?" His tone was bitter, undeniably so.

She immediately sat up and pulled his hand away to see the area of skin that had been touched by the burning ash. When Clove saw the small circular patch of pinkish flesh she gave a yelp.

"I-I d-didn't want that- my dad- it never hurt me- -accident." She blurt out in a single breath, face flushed.

"What? Are you telling me her burned you on purpose?" He said with even more irritation.

Her doe like eyes remained wide, fixed on him. It was obvious she wasn't going to get a response. She hated it when she let something about her past she didn't want to share slip.

He sat up with a grimace. "You're so fucked up." he mutter as he pushed the back door open and walked around to the drivers side. He would regret his words later, probably at night, but between what happen at school and the stinging on his neck, he really couldn't take it upon himself to give a damn. He yanked the door open and shut it roughly as he slid into the driver seat.

"Sorry." Clove said in a weak voice.

"Fuck off." He muttered as he jammed the key into the ignition, putting the car in reverse at the same time. Clove fell sideways at the sudden motion and before she could recover the car was in drive, speeding out of the school parking lot.

Clove watched in slight distress as he sped through two stop signs, and deciding today was not a good day to die, she cleared her throat. He didn't acknowledge her, as expected.

"Um, slow down." She said, trying to sound firm, but her voice cracked.

Her response was a glare in the front mirror.

"At least put your seat belt on." She reasoned.

He let out a humorless laugh, as though the very idea was ludicrous.

"I've been too easy on you Clove. You get what you want too easily. You can be quite manipulative at times." He mused.

Clove clicked her tongue in silent outrage. "What do I get away with?" she demanded while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hmm, let's see..." Cato said sarcastically. "How about the fact that you just burned part of my skin off and I didn't punch you in the face?" He asked her innocently.

"You- you wouldn't hit a girl!" Clove retorted, yet her response was skeptical and given the right scenario Clove wouldn't put it past him. She was tempted to bring up the incident in eighth grade when he punched an unsuspecting Ronny Jones for making fun of her 'freakishly large eyes'. So what if the size of her pupils made it look like she was on LSD? Or the actual size of her eyes for that matter. Cato rather liked them, though he would never tell her that.

"No, I wouldn't hit _you. _You're lucky you're so small or else I would have had you pinned to the seat in ten seconds." he shot back.

"Well, thanks for not doing that." she said awkwardly.

Clove watch him carefully for a moment in silence, his knuckles were white as he griped the steering wheel. A pang of guilt hit her. She wasn't sure if he was mad or in pain. She hoped neither,but she knew she wasn't that lucky. Her eyes eventually made way to the speedometer. It read 60 MPH.

"Slow down Cato!" She said in a rush. Her heart suddenly pounding in her chest.

He scoffed and she could practically feel him roll his eyes at her. "And why is that, love?" He purred while turning his head to look at her. His voice wasn't sweet, it was dripping with venom and a false sense of security.

"Because you're going thirty miles over the speed limit." she said bluntly.

'We're almost there anyway." he said calmly. Clove didn't like that voice. He might have sound perfectly at ease but she new better. He could call her manipulative all he wanted, he wore a better poker face then most, and was usually able conceal what he was truly feeling.

Clove remained silent, trying to block out the care horns that kept honking at them every time Cato became reckless with the gas pedal.

"Why can't you act like night Cato?" Clove mutter quietly to herself as he purposely cut off the truck in the next lane. She missed the glace Cato gave to the front mirror, eyebrows raised.

The remainder of the car ride was spent in silence, though the atmosphere swirled with emotions, coming off in waves from the both of them. After thirteen minutes of uncomfortableness later they were finally in the driveway.

Clove barely waited till the car was in park before grabbing her messenger bag and pushing the back door open in one movement. She walked at a hurried pace to the porch, trying to get there before him. She made it to the door and just when she was about to dig for her key the door opened.

Clove jumped back and screamed, at the same time Cato shut the car door and had begun making his way up the driveway. Clove put a hand to her chest in an attempt to calm her breathing and regain her composure in front of Cato's father.

"You- you're not- s'pose to be back yet." She said, feeling suddenly dizzy.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Cato said from behind her, sounding suddenly territorial.

"This is my house." Cato's father said while looking at his only son suspiciously.

"Yeah well you're not supposed to be back for four more days, what gives?" he demanded.

"Change of plans." he responded, not really paying attention. "I didn't see Ms. Anna's car here, where is she?"

Cato was taken aback by his father's quick means to find out where their 'babysitter' was.

'She called this morning saying she had strep throat." Cato said slowly, hoping not to reveal too much to his father and that he wouldn't find out that he forged a letter to Ms. Anna saying her services were no longer required.

Honestly, it had been a pain having her around. She was always trying to pry into their personal life and wouldn't leave him alone in the same room with Clove for more that five minutes which he naturally objected to by acting childish and completely out of control.

"I have another business trip coming up in two days, I'll be gone for three weeks." Mr. Wood informed them. "Then I'm on break." he talked to the pair of them in a very professional manor, one Clove could tell Cato wasn't fond of.

Without so much a glance in his father's direction Cato pushed past him and headed into the house and towards the stairs.

Clove looked at , (or David as he preferred her to call him) feeling slightly awkward being alone in his presence after Cato had walked out.

"Clove, get over here." Cato's voice called from halfway up the stairs. It wasn't a question, it was a command.

Clove immediately brushed past David and headed towards the stairs at a faster pace then she normally walked. Cato waited until Clove had reached the second step before continuing up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Clove looked over her shoulder and gave David an apologetic look before turning the corner at the top of the stairwell just in time to see Cato walk into his room, slamming the door behind him. She shook her head. Day Cato and night Cato were two totally different people. She paused at his door, not really having the courage to open it, debating on weather or not she should try to sneak into his room later that night.( having his father around wasn't too convenient). The door way probably locked anyway.

Clove turned around slowly to face the door across from his. She could wait in her room until dinner, give Cato some time to cool off and then stay up all night. Sleeping wasn't an option seeing that Cato's father most likely wouldn't approve of her normal sleeping quarters.

She felt the sudden rush of air as the door behind her swung open. Her back stiffened in surprise and just as she was turning around to face him she felt a strong grip on her wrist pull her into the room. The door slammed shut as she stumbled backwards and hit Cato's chest.

"I got tired of seeing your shadow under the door." He said dryly.

She made a small noise in response. She stood awkwardly in front of him, not really knowing what to say or do. A twinge of annoyance struck her as a smirk began to tug at the edge of his lips.

"Why does your dad think that Anna should be here?" Clove asked while crossing her arms over her chest, trying very hard to ignore his facial expression.

"Because he doesn't know I fired her." He said smugly.

Clove raised her eyebrows at him. "And what about the monthly check he used to send us to give her?" Clove inquired suspiciously.

Cato smile at this. "I add it to the money he sends me weekly."

Clove clicked her tongue at him. "That's not honest Cato." She said with a frown of disapproval.

"Well is it honest to lie to your only son about where his mother is when she's actually six feet under?" He snapped back, suddenly angry.

Clove opened her mouth and shut it abruptly. Sarah was still a sensitive topic and she didn't want to push him further. He had so much pent up rage inside of him that needed to be released he would take it out on others, verbally and sometimes physically. (Though he had never gotten physical with her).

"I think he just didn't know how to tell you." She said quietly.

He rolled his eyes at her and turned his head away from her, almost as if he was suddenly avoiding her gaze.

"Why do act different sometimes?" She blurted out, instantly regretting it. Without looking at her he responded.

"Because sometimes I don't care what ends up happening and sometimes I do."

Clove felt confused by his words. Did he mean that sometimes he didn't care if she slept in his bed and other times he did because he was worried about what would come of it? Or maybe whenever he showed any affection towards her he would be afraid he would get two close to her, though Clove didn't really see how that was possible. The last option was that he was just a hormonal teenager that had more mood swings than a pregnant woman.

Yes, defiantly the last one.

* * *

**Yay :3 another chapter. I hope I didn't disappoint. I wanted to show another side of Cato and I hope I explained his change of behavior good enough. Let me know if there are any grammatical errors. Weather it be a period, misspelt word, or anything else please let me know. **

**Please review 'cause it makes me smile :') Give a lonely girl authoress a reason to write dudes. **


	3. Chapter 3

_And it's sad but it's true, when I'm layin' here with you, _

_ there ain't nothing anyone could _

_ ever say or ever do. - Eminem _

_ (a.k.a the best rapper in the world)_

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Word count: 3,232**

Cato was thinking hard. Which he usually didn't do. He went through life with an 'I don't give a fuck' attitude that always caught up with him after a year or so. Today apparently was his yearly check in with reality. He glared at the thought. His mind was a vortex of doors that kept making him think of things that were _suppose_ to be long forgotten. He thought about his mother and the sound of her voice. How she used to smile at him whenever he did something that pleased her.

He thought about all the times he left Clove home alone and had come back less than sober. He thought about the times he kissed her, even though the memory was hazy due to the fact that he was intoxicated almost every time he came home late. She had forbid him to ever speak about some of things that he did or said to her in his drunken stupor. Frankly, he didn't want to think about it that much either. If his father or any of his friends found out what happened on several nights where he had given Clove _more _attention then usual they would surely have his neck.

He sighed and ran his fingers impatiently through his blond hair. He was vaguely aware of the sound of running water but quickly dismissed the thought. After several tantalizing minutes of thinking he eventually concluded his relationship with Clove changed on a daily basis. Sometimes he didn't even want to meet her gaze while at other times he felt as if he could watch her for hours on end. (Which he did whenever she napped on the couch.)

The sound of the bathroom door opening cause him to stiffen momentarily before turning from where he sat at the end of the bed. Small droplets of water clung to the ends of her eyelashes and a few ran down her neck. This caused his gaze to travel downward and find an ugly yellow towel wrapped around her slim frame. He made a face.

"You look _terrible_ in yellow." he said while giving the towel a look of utmost disgust.

"I'll get rid of it then." she said dryly, clearly not planning on getting rid of said towel.

Cato's eyebrow flew to his hair line as her words caused an unexpected warm heat to flood his body.

_No no no no no._

"That's not what I meant." she responded in the same monotone. "Don't be such a _boy."_

"Oh, well sorry your highness.'' He said while lowering his head and bowing. "But pure testosterone runs through these veins."

Clove rolled her eyes as she made her way to the door, shooting him a look as she did so.

As she was about to leave a sudden thought struck him.

"I didn't _beg._" he blurted out as she was about to leave, recalling his father's words a few weeks ago.

_I would think you would keep better track of her since you're the one who practically begged me to let her stay here._

Clove paused with her hand on the door knob. Frozen.

"What are you talking about?" she said slowly, almost as if she knew what he was going to say.

"My dad said that I begged him to let you stay here, _I_ _didn't_." he said pointedly while crossing his arms over his chest.

She inhaled sharply. "Good to know." he heard her say in an incredibility stiff voice. And with that, she was gone.

* * *

Clove fumbled with her cloths while blinking furiously. He didn't care. He didn't want her here.

Pain welled up in her chest, making it harder and harder to breathe. She let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes. _He's just saying that. He loves my company. He wants me here very much. _She told herself firmly. The voice in her head was halfhearted. She closed her eyes once more in an attempt to gain her composer. _Pull it together! _Her mind screamed at her. She wasn't going to wallow in self pity over something he most likely didn't even mean.

She sniffed indifferently while straightening out the collar of her white shirt. Her pale skin had a light flush to it due to embarrassment and anger. She felt so confused. She didn't know what to think or what to believe. Cato could very much be lying to her. Her eyes narrowed at the mirror that hung on her bedroom wall. Adjusting the navy blue skirt of her school uniform, Clove made a mental note to get rid of all the yellow things she owned.

She grabbed her hair brush off her dresser and roughly began to pull it through her damp hair- wincing whenever the small tangles caused the brush to pull harshly on her scalp. After several rough strokes on her raven hair she grabbed two hair ties off her dresser and put her hair in two high pigtails. Cato _hated _it whenever she wore her hair like that. She didn't know why, but it annoyed him to no end. Apparently she looked just as horrible in pigtails as she did in yellow. She gave the mirror a self-satisfied grin. She could play this game just as well as he could.

* * *

Cato sat back in his chair by the kitchen table slowly sipping his coffee. His fingers tapped on the marble surface lazily. His coffee was slightly bitter but he couldn't bring himself to care. Just as he was about to call Clove's name he heard her descending the stairs.

"Finally, what took you so-." his eyes widened and his mouth clamped shut.

"What?" she asked with confusion.

He let his head hit the table with a _thunk. _

"Pigtails." he muttered. God, why did she have to do this to him? She looked so, so _adorable. _And he _hated _it.

"Are you ready for school?" she asked him, ignoring his comment while walking to the front door, not waiting for his answer.

He wordlessly followed her out the front door. He patted his pockets in an attempt to locate his keys only to find they were gone. He turned around to go back in the house and find them but stopped short when he saw Clove locking the front door.

_How did she...?_

She brushed past him and confused him even more when he watched her unlock the car and slide into the drivers seat. He forced his feet to move forward, trying to ignore the voices that were screaming at him to do something about those goddamn pigtails. He reached the car and opened the door. He slid into the passenger seat without even looking at Clove, _or _the pigtails.

...

The parking lot was bustling with the usual traffic activity. Cars pulling in, cars pulling out, someone already parked in their spot- wait, what? A light blue Lexus convertible was parked neatly in _their_ spot.

"Looks like blondie beat us." came a drawled voice from the passenger seat.

"Sparkles." Clove muttered darkly.

"Actually, I think her name is Glimmer." Cato corrected knowingly.

She made a gagging sound in the back of her throat.

Cato eye her curiously- bad idea. Their eyes locked. Ice blue meeting sharp emerald green.

Clove's eyes darted straight forward to see a certain blonde hair blue eyed girl staring at them through the windshield. She didn't think twice before leaning forward and throwing her arms around the boy next to her. She hugged him tightly. He froze for a moment before hesitantly placing his arms around he lower back.

"I don't like her." she breathe into his ear.

"Mhhm."

She pulled back and sure enough saw Glimmer walking away, her blonde hair and hips swaying as she walked toward the school in annoyance.

_Success. _

Feeling satisfied, Clove parked the car next to the Lexus and opened the door, letting it hit the blue paint of the car next to her. Chin held high, she locked the car and waited for Cato to walk around and meet her on the other side. She absently pushed the keys into his hand before walking away from him, fully knowing he was staring at her.

The court yard was filled with people. Several stared at her but she ignored them. They were probably just surprised he let her drive his car. Frankly, she was surprised he didn't object.

To the left of her she saw Glimmer and her group of 'friends'. Uhg. They were all the same. Pin straight hair, too much mascara, and all four of them were missing a good five inches of their skirts. She briefly wondered how they got away with it seeing as altering uniforms was strictly prohibited.

Just as she was passing said girls she heard a voice.

"You don't have a drivers license."

She whirled around to see Cato standing behind her.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "What's your point? You knew that and you still let me drive." she dismissively.

He hesitated. "What about your _perfect record?_" he resorted.

She snorted. "You're such a hypocrite. I can think of at least five illegal things you've done this week."

Cato suddenly became very aware of the small crowd that was listening, including a certain group of girls. He refused to back down.

"Like what?" he demanded.

"Hmm, let's see." she said sarcastically. "Drinking, transferring bank funds, smoking, 'borrowing' your fathers BMW, and I'm pretty sure you J-walked a few times." she said seriously.

"Well, _you_ burned me with a cigarette!" he said while yanking his collar down.

"It was an accident and I said I was sorry!" she shot back.

All he could do was sneer back at her.

"Don't drive my car."

"Don't make fun of my hair."

He glared at her as she turned around.

"Oh, and I'd bet everything I have that you did _beg._" she said while looking at him over her shoulder. And with that she walked off. She knew the few bystanders would not understand what she meant, but Cato would, and that's all that mattered.

_Clove:1 Cato:0_

* * *

Cato roughly sat down in his chair as the bell for first period rang. He shot several glares at the people that had been standing in the court yard, letting his gaze linger on a particular blonde before turning his attention to the front of the room.

Ugh. Trigonometry.

Math defiantly wasn't his strong suit. Of course, Clove _had _to get nothing below a B on every single test. He was glade they didn't share this class or else it would be completely unbearable. He was pretty sure she had it next hour.

"Ca-to." a sing-song voice purred.

He turned his bored gaze on Glimmer.

"Your girlfriend seemed pretty mad at you today." she said while twirling a lock of hair around a perfectly manicured finger.

He scoffed. "I gave her ride to school, nothing more." he didn't bother to correct her.

"It seemed like _she _gave _you _a ride to school." she said with a small smile.

"I usually don't let her drive." he said defensively.

Glimmer opened her mouth to say something else but was thankfully cut off by the teacher's presence in the front of the room.

The next hour past without disruption. Glimmer looked over at him constantly but didn't mutter a word for the rest of the class period. Which was a plus. However by the time the bell rang a permanent scowl was etched on his face. Two page of trig homework were due tomorrow followed by a test the next day. So when he bumped into a very scared freshman he didn't bother to apologize. He kept walking at a leisurely pace, not caring if he was late to class or not.

He decided to show up a few minutes late for his least favorite teacher, Mr. Hernandez. The man truly hated him. He had possibly received more detentions from incidents in his class alone than any other class combined.

When he sauntered in several eyes looked up. He plopped down in his seat which was in the front row. Mr. Hernandez looked over at him from where he had been writing on the board.

"I was wondering where you were."

"I was admiring the fine linoleum tile." he said seriously. Several people sniggered.

The older man let out a frustrated sigh. "Just open your textbook to page 603 and copy the listed vocabulary."

Cato release a dramatically breath. "Such a waste of trees." he murmured as he pulled out his textbook.

History vocabulary was quite dulling. _Anything _would be better than sitting here. The school could catch on fire and he would be elated to get out of class.

So when he heard the ringing of a phone he perked up. He looked around the room for the unfortunate student. They were going to get it _bad. _

He smirked and waited to see who's face would give it away. When he felt the slight vibration in his pocket his face paled.

He groaned as everyone turned to look at him. He reluctantly pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen to see who the fuck was going to make him get his phone confiscated.

'Clove' blinked across the screen.

His eyebrow furrowed.

"Bring me your phone." came an unamused voice from the white board.

Feeling the need to improvise, he answered the phone.

"_What?" _he hissed.

He heard several sniffles on the other line.

"Hey are you ok?" he asked, suddenly feeling concerned.

"N-no." he heard her respond.

"Where are you? What the hell happened?" he asked her in a rush.

"J-janitors c-closet. S-second f-floor."

He sighed and hung up. He pushed his binder into his bag before standing up.

"Emergency." he said shortly to no one in particular before pushing his way through the door.

He had no idea what was wrong and couldn't shake the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He tried to recall where the Janitor's supply closet was with little success. _C'mon, think, think. _He made several wrong turns before backtracking his steps and making a left. His feet tapped rhythmically against the white tile.

_Hur-ry, hur-rry, hur-rry._

He was defiantly going to get detention for walking out of class. Or worse. That thought could most definitely wait until later. He looked around wildly in an attempt to locate a door that wasn't a classroom. _Electrical room? No. Teacher's lounge, Supply room. . .no. _

Cato abruptly stop walking when a small red sign with white font caught his eye.

CUSTODIAL EQUIPMENT

Yes. That had to be it.

Without hesitation he opened the door and stepped inside. It was heavier than he had expected and slammed shut loudly behind him. It was a small space. Maybe six feet by six feet. An LED light flickered above the dingy room and caused an ugly glare on the 'wet floor' sign. The ground was not tiled like the rest of the school, but rather made up of smoothed cement. The walls were not painted and made the whole room seem smaller with its ugly gray color. He was about to walk out- convinced he had the wrong room, but a slight whimpering caught his attention.

He gaze traveled to the floor to find a large pile of brunette hair and a pair of back scissors next to a mop bucket.

Clove sat a few inches away. Her knees were drawn to her chest and her hands were clamped over her mouth, trying to quiet her sobs. Thick tears ran down her flushed face as a she turned her head to the side and lifted a shaking hand to her scalp. Cato immediately took a step forward and sank to his knees. Half of her hair had been cut in sharp jagged angles. It barely reached past her ear. It was as if someone had closed their eyes and had randomly chopped of a section of her hair, not caring if one side was shorted then the other.

She whimpered involuntarily as she reached her arms out to him. Her lips quivered and several salty tears dripped onto the cold floor.

Cato immediately took her into his arms and tried to push away the feelings of hatred towards who ever did this to his angel. Er- friend.

Clove's arms latched around his neck tightly as she pushed her face into his collarbone.

"Who did this to you?" he asked her as gently as he could manage. Which wasn't that gentle at all and ended up sounding rather demanding.

"S-she w-was t-talking about y-you and how y-you d-din't like m-my hair." "T-this m-morning." she added with a slight hiccup.

"Who was it?" he repeated, unconsciously pulling her closer to his chest.

"Glimmer, a-and her f-friends. T-they dragged me in here after f-first hour."

His jaw clenched.

"Don't worry, I'm going to take care of it. It'll be fine." he said with not so innocent intentions.

"N-no it w-won't!" she protested weakly. "I look h-horrible, and it's s-so h-humiliating.'' she said while biting her lip and turning her head away from him. She wanted to crawl out of her skin.

"I'll take you to the hair dresser, they can give you one of those pixie hair cuts, you'll look fine." he told her reassuringly.

He felt her head shake.

"Don't worry." he told her while pressing his face against her cheek. It was wet and tasted salty when he pressed his lips lightly against it. He hugged her tight and rocked her back and fourth gently until she was only sniffling.

"I really hate it when you cry." he told her lightly.

She looked up and mutter a quick 'sorry' before looking down.

"No, it just make me sad, that's all." he said reassuringly. He felt her eyes on him and he quickly looked away.

"They'll probably get suspended for doing that. Or kicked out." he added hopefully. His mind was already planning ahead to what punishment would best suit the blonde.

"Maybe I should switch schools." she mumbled while dragging a hand over her face and rubbing her eyes.

He felt his muscles tense up.

"No." he said hoarsely. He cleared his throat. "No. I won't let you."

She didn't reply, but simply closed her eyes and leaned against him.

* * *

So sorry this chapter is so late, my WIFI has been out for A _**MONTH**_ and it's been driving me insane. So glad it's back! Tell me if I made any grammatical mistakes! Reveiw for Cato being sweet :)


	4. Chapter 4

**How are my sweet sugar plums doing? Sorry I haven't been on. High school is cray cray right now. For thoughs of you who read Careers Don't Love you may remember an author note saying that I was auditioning for a prestigious school with a writing program. Well I got in! I'm currently taking four English/ writing classes. Yay. **

* * *

**Chapter four**

**Word count:3111**

* * *

Clove nervously ran a self conscious hand over her hair. The stylist had done the best she could, and even she had to admit it didn't look _completely_ horrible. Her eyes scanned the empty library to confirm she was alone. The library was her domain, and anyone who didn't appreciate books as much as she did shouldn't enter anyway. Sighing contently she pulled out a rather old and thick copy of poems by Edgar Allan Poe. Just as she was about to open the worn cover she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She placed her reading material on the desk in front of her before pulling her phone out. She flipped it open without bothering to check if she knew the number.

"Hello?"

"_Miss_ _me_?"

...

"Dude, I don't know what your problem is but you can't just _give _your car keys to people." a concerned looking Marvel stated while shaking his head.

Cato gave him a look before taking another drag from his cigarette. He was leaning against the side of school, staring blankly into the full parking lot.

"I trust her not to crash my car." he said with a scoff.

"What about _stealing _it?"

Cato rolled his eyes at the ridiculous statement.

"And where would she go?" he inquired, one eyebrow raised.

"I dunno man, to a car dealership to get cash?"

"Clove couldn't steal anything." he said with a laugh. "She doesn't have the balls to do something like that."

"Oh really? Then what would you call that?" Marvel asked while pointing towards the corner of the parking lot.

He squinted.

"What am I supposed to be looking at 'Oh intelligent one'?" he asked in his usual sarcastic tone.

Before Marvel had a chance to respond he spotted a certain figure walking briskly to his car.

"So? Maybe she left her sweater in there or something." he replied hotly.

"I don't think so man."

"And why would you think that?" he said accusingly.

"Because right before I came out here I heard her on the phone, and lets just say it was an interesting conversation."

"And that conversation led you to believe what exactly?" Cato said with a glare.

"She asked some dude if he was in prison, and he must not have been because she told him that she would see him _right away no matter what."_

His blood went cold.

He watch in confusion as the front lights of his car turned on.

"Shit." he said under his breath while raking a hand through his hair. His cigarette lay forgotten on the asphalt.

"Huh. Talk about perfect timing!" Marvel said in a slightly _too _chipper tone.

"Shut up and give me you're keys." Cato demanded, looking dangerously pissed.

"What? Now your going to steal my car? I don't think so."

"I'm not stealing you're car, I'm _borrowing _it. There's a difference." Cato replied impatiently.

"And where are you taking my beautiful 2004 Toyota may I ask?"

"I'm following her." he growled.

Seeing his friend's anger about to explode, Marvel did the smartest thing he could think of and silently handed Cato the keys.

He snatched them immediately and ran to the parking lot realizing his car was gone.

He spotted Marvel's pathetic excuse for a vehicle and ran towards it. Anger and confusion bubbled beneath him. It wasn't like Clove to just run off like that. He felt...used. Which was odd seeing as it was always the other way around for him. _He _did the using and others went around and felt sorry for themselves about it.

He slid inside the car and slammed the door shut. Not bothering to buckle his seat belt, he jammed the key into the ignition before pushing the car in reverse and high tailing out of the parking lot. He gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned a ghastly shade of white. The entire situation felt completely unreal. This was something that happened in a movie, or a poorly written action scene, _not_ in real life.

It didn't take long for him to spot his car speeding down the main road. He pressed his foot a little harder on the gas, his eyes narrowing as he did so. Did he have the right car? Clove never went over the speed limit and would bitch him whenever he passed a yellow light for god sakes. If it was the right car she was in serious trouble. He was fine with her borrowing his car, but _stealing _it without telling him was crossing the line. She didn't even have a license.

The car made a right turn and went north for about fourteen miles before making an abrupt left into a neighborhood that made Cato's upper lip curl in disgust. The paint on almost every house was faded and chipped. Each looked about the size of his garage with a lovely patch of dead grass to top it off. The streets were worn down and the over all atmosphere was depressing. Clove was _not _the kind of girl to ditch school, steal a car, and drive to some ghetto neighborhood. This was just plain weird.

_Maybe you don't know what kind of girl she is._ A voice in the back of his head nagged. He shook it off.

He knew a lot about her, more than anyone else. He also knew that she didn't tell him everything.

His foot pressed on the break pedal slightly, slowing down in order to remain unnoticed. He watched closely as she turned down a beat up street and pulled into a driveway. The windows were boarded up along with the front door. Clove knocked on the wooden panel and to Cato's astonishment, he watched as the piece of plywood was shifted out of place to allow entry. He froze. He was tempted to either run inside and throttle her for being completely stupid or save her and lock her inside, away from any danger forever.

_Two minutes. She has two minutes to get in and out before I go in. _He told himself firmly. Once he saw her get into the car he would leave and floor it in order to beat her home. There was no way they would make it back to school in time for last period. Cato's eyes remained glued to the 'house'- occasionally glancing at his watch. Just when he was about to open his door he saw movement out of the corer of his vision. He looked over to see Clove walking towards his car carrying what appeared to be a large book and several manila envelopes. He put the car in reverse before shifting the gear and getting the hell out of there.

He drove fifteen miles over the speed limit until he saw the first sigan of real civilization- a McDonald's.

"Thank god." he murmured. He never wanted to go back to that area again. Most importantly he never wanted Clove visiting anyone over there either. And it wasn't because Marvel said she was talking about meeting some man there.

Pulling into his drive way he spotted Marvel standing by his garage.

Leaving the engine running, he stepped out of the car and began walking towards Marvel.

"How did you get here?" Cato asked quizzically.

"I had Finn drop me off." he said with a shrug. "Did you find her."

"Yeah." Cato replied uncertaily.

The two teenagers stared at each other for a few seconds.

"Well, where was she?"

"She had to pick something up." he said as casually as he could manage. He didn't feel like elaborating on the story.

Marvel opened his mouth to say something but Cato cut him off.

You should get going, I don't want to be standing in the driveway when she pulls in, which will be any minute now."

"Right." he mumbled. "See you 'round."

With that Cato turned on his heals and walked up the path to the front door. He jammed his key in the hole with a sigh. Why did she have to make his life so difficult? He let out another deep breath as the refreshing air conditioning greeted him in welcome. He kicked off his shoes and plopped onto the couch. He rubbed his temple as he thought of what to say to Clove when she came home.

'_Hey Clove. I followed you today after you stole my car and drove to an abandoned house. You came out a few minutes later carrying envelopes and a book, why is that?' _

No, that would never work.

Cato sat there and tried to think of something to say- _anything to say. _He waited for a brilliant response to come to him but it never did. He frowned slightly at this. He was always good at coming up with a demanding question.

"I must be loosing my touch." he mutter to himself.

The rustling of a lock caused his head to snap up. The door swung open to reveal an exhausted looking Clove. She leaned against the door frame for support while clutching her side.

"Before... you...say anything...let...me...explain."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You want to explain why you stole my car and drove off to an unknown destination?" he asked her in mock surprise.

"It was urgent! I got a call and I need to pick something up." she said while looking down at the objects in her hand.

"What's with the book?'' Cato asked a little sharper then he intended to.

"It's not a book it's a photo album."

"Book, photo album- whatever." he said distractedly. "What I want to know is why you would drive out to some shitty neighborhood and go inside some gutted out old building to-"

"How did you know where I was?" she demanded in a slightly shocked tone.

Cato blinked twice. "I followed you of course."

"You followed me? How? _I _had the car."

"Borrowed Marvel's car, he picked it up a little bit ago." He said with a quick wave of his hand.

"Why did you follow me?" she said while walking over to him and placing the photo album and envelopes on the coffee table.

He gave her a bewildered look. "Isn't it obvious? I wanted to know why you took my car and where you were going." he told her.

"Who did you go and see?" he asked with narrowed eyes. He stood up and walked over to her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"An old friend." she said vaguely.

"Who?" he barked, suddenly feeling jealous of this 'mystery man' she was with.

She flinched slightly. "I came to collect...family photos from someone I knew a long time ago. I don't know how he got my number but he's not that bad, not really...just a little misguide." she said hesitantly. "He reminds me of you in a way." she told him carefully.

"_Who _is he." Cato demanded through clenched teeth.

"I lived with him for a while, before I knew you." she added, ignoring his question. "He took care of me for a long time until one day he disappeared into thin air. That was actually the day I met you. I haven't heard from him since. I figured he was either arrested, dead, or out of the country. His name is Peter by the way." she added.

"And how is this man related to you?" he asked with a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"He was a guy I met through the foster care system. He gave me sandwiches sometimes." she said with a shrug.

"You never told me you were in foster care.'' he said with an accusing tone.

"You never asked." She said with a slight frown.

"Don't do that again. Got it?" he said while taking another step closer to her so their toes were touching. "Don't just leave and send me on a wild goose chase after you." he said a little softer.

"Why Cato, I didn't know you cared." she said sarcastically.

Cato smirked at her. "You must have been quite brave to go in there, I'm sure you're brave enough to sleep _alone _now that you've experienced such danger. " he told her.

Clove frowned at him. "You're going to send me away?" she asked while sticking out her bottom lip.

Cato let out a bark of laughter. "Yes. I'm going to send you away, all the way across the hall." he told her seriously.

"You can't do that!" she said firmly before pushing past him and taking the stairs two at a time.

"Uhg. Woman." he muttered under his breath. Always over reacting.

* * *

He gave her twenty minutes to cool down before slowly trudging up the stairs to her room. He pushed the door open only to find it empty.

He smiled- a real one.

"Clo-ve." he sang out. "What did I tell you about staying with me?" he asked as he opened the door. He found her laying in his bed with the sheets drawn. She stared at the bedspread with a blank expression.

"Thanks to your little mission it's now late. Go get ready for bed and stay in your room." he said with fake authority.

"I am ready for bed."

"No you're not, if you were ready for bed you would be in your room." he said. He knew he was being cruel, but he couldn't help it.

Clove didn't respond.

"I'm going to take a shower and get ready, when I come out you better not be here." he said in a sickly sweet tone.

No response.

...

Cato hummed lightly as he existed the shower. He wrapped a white towel around his waist before grabbing a smaller one and drying his hair. The towel hung low on his hips and the beads of water dripping down his chest made him look angelic. His high cheek bones stood out due to the flushed glow from the steam.

He pushed open the bathroom door to find a familiar lump under his covers. He clicked his tongue. "You are just in a rebellious mood today, aren't you?" he asked her.

She mumbled something in response.

"Are you feeling rebellious enough to sneak a peak while I change? hmm?" he asked her in that silky voice that all the girls loved.

She snorted. "No thanks Slick."

"Didn't want you to look anyway." Cato grumbled with a slight pout as he slid his navy pajama bottom on.

"I'm tired, so I'm going to ask you to leave now." he said as he turned to face Clove. He ignored her hurt expression.

"Make me."

Cato paused for a minute.

"Alright then." he said as he climbed on to the bed. He proceeded to crawl on all fours until he reached her. He made an attempt to pick her up but she wouldn't budge. The sound of metal tinkling caused him to pull back part of the sheet.

"Where the fuck did you get _handcuffs?"_ he asked her in a dazed tone. For some odd reason his mouth felt dry.

"I've had them." she responded shortly.

Cato smirked at her.

"Why Clove, I didn't know you were so kinky. You should have told me earlier." he said smugly.

He watched in amusement as her face turned red. ''It's not like that and you know it!"

''You must really trust me." he continued. "I mean come on, you handcuffed yourself to my bed. I could do absolutely anything to you right now."

"You better not try to rape me." she muttered.

He pulled back slightly at this. "I was thinking more along the lines of tickling you until you couldn't breath, but good suggestion Clove."

He leaned over her until their noses touched.

"How bad do you want to stay here?" he asked her.

Her eyes shifted under his gaze. "I don't want to sleep in my room." she told him.

"You can stay on one condition." he said slowly.

"What's that?" she asked him.

"You have to give me a little kissy-poo." he said in a higher octave while batting his lashes.

"What? No way!" she said with a glare.

He sighed. "I guess I'll just sleep in the guest room."

"What? No!" she protested.

"No kissy-poo means no cuddle buddy." he told her with a smirk.

''Fine, the key is in the drawer, unlock me." she said with a sigh of defeat.

Cato complied and opened the drawer. He unlock her and threw the cuffs to the floor.

"Where _did_ you get these?" Cato asked her curiously.

''They're police handcuffs. This cop dropped a pair when he arrested my dad."

"Oh."

"Well, g'night." Clove mumbled before abruptly rolling over.

''Nah ah ah. We had a deal."

Clove mumbled something under her breath before pushing herself into a sitting position.

She placing her hand silently on his cheek before leaning forward and brushing her lips against those of the boy in front of her. She felt a slight tingle against her lips but before she knew it, it was over.

Cato stared at her for a long time with wide eyes.

"Er, I meant on the cheek or something." he mumbled.

"Well so-rry." she replied using two syllables.

"No no, it's uh, it's cool."

"Whatever." she replied as she leaned over and turned off the lamp on the bedside table.

"Yeah, whatever." he mumbled as Clove snuggled up to him.

* * *

**Three cheers for fluff and one slightly uncomfortable and confused Cato!**

** _I'm pants at editing so if you spot any stupid mistakes let me know. I thrive and exist off of reviews. I was actually inspire to update because of recent reviews._** **so make a person happy? :3**

So I don't know what to think about this chapter...a slight peak at Clove's past? hmm?


End file.
